Football News Today

Not Gareth Bale – Manchester United keen on signing Real Madrid star

According to the Manchester Evening News, Manchester United will make a summer move for Croatian midfielder, Mateo Kovacic who currently plays for European champions, Real Madrid. The 23-year-old midfielder has been linked to an exit from Santiago Bernabeu after failing to establish himself as a first team regular ever since his arrival at the club back in 2015 from Inter Milan.

He has found opportunities limited yet again as the trio of Luka Modric, Casemiro and Toni Kroos are preferred in the middle of the park by manager, Zinedine Zidane.

It is reported that the Spanish giants are open to letting him leave the club as the likes of Marcos Llorente and Dani Ceballos want to feature more in midfield. The pair are highly rated at the club, but have struggled to play this season. Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho is a big fan of Kovacic, as he feels the player can be the long-term replacement for club legend, Michael Carrick who is expected to retire from professional football come the end of the season.

Kovacic will also be interested in a move to Old Trafford as he has spoken in the past of his desire to play in the English Premier League. He will offer something quite different to our play at the moment and help Mourinho play a 4-3-3 to he able to get the best out of Paul Pogba. The futures of Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini are also up for question, meaning that we need more options in midfield. Kovacic is a player that can play as a deep-lying playmaker and central midfielder who likes orchestrating things from deep.

He joined Madrid in 2015 and has played 89 games, scoring 4 times. He will add creativity and ball retention attributes to our midfield.